Sequel: Naru, What the Heck are You Doing?
by miku89
Summary: Back from her training trip/mission with Jiraiya, Naru & co. prepares for the upcoming maelstrom. Supported with many allies, how would the outcome of the 10th of October be? FemNaru, Time Travel, SEQUEL
1. Chapter 1

As the title says, this is a **SEQUEL **of my story, "Naruto, What the Heck are You Doing?"

I don't own the original series of **Naruto, **obviously.

* * *

><p>Four figures slowly walked to the Konoha Gates. Two of them were most likely teens, one of them holding a small piglet. Behind them, were taller and seemed to be in their thirties. The muscular man had long, white hair tied back, and the woman had her pale blonde hair in two loose pigtails.<p>

The teenage girls were chatting happily, both seemingly no older than fifteen. The one holding the baby pig had black eyes and short hair. She wore a short sleeved, lavender yukata that reached mid-knee, wrapped together by a thick, long, red obi. She had black sandals that covered most of her feet, unlike the standard ninja shoes.

The other had her blonde hair tied up high, and wore a blue pendant around her neck that glinted in the sunlight, much like her oceanic eyes. She wore a black jacket, a hood attached, and a bright orange shirt underneath. She had slightly tight-fitting leather pants that ended just below her kneecaps, and a holster strapped to her right leg. She wore black heeled sandals.

The two chunin guards watched agape as the group went past them.

"Just now… did you see what I saw?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Holy crap."

* * *

><p>"Come in!"<p>

The door creaked as it opened, and a grinning Obito followed by Rin went in the office. "Hey, sensei! We heard a rumor… is Naru really back?"

"Huh, news travels fast, eh? Well, yes; the messenger bird came in just a moment ago."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, and everyone knew the chakra signatures behind it.

The door revealed Uzumaki Naru, with Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune standing behind her.

"Yo! How've you guys been while I was gone?" The blonde teen chirped.

Her teammates gaped.

"Uh… guys?"

Rin shrieked, as she jumped on her. "Oh my God, Naru! Can you really change this much? You look totally different!"

"Ah, that's 'cause I cut my hair and changed the style of my bangs slightly, I guess…"

Naru's blonde locks that used to reach near her waist were cut short, just grazing her shoulders. The front sides of her hair were shorter and framed her face, but most of it was parted to one side by a clip like it used to be.

Obito grinned, as he brought a hand up to measure her height. "Man, Naru, you sure grew! You're even taller than Rin now!"

Rin blinked, as she looked over Naru's shoulder. The blond noticed her stare, and grinned, "Guys, meet Shizune! Shizune, meet Rin and Obito!"

Rin landed her fist on her other hand, as if finally understanding something. "Ah, I remember! I saw you around the village before. You were friends with Asuma-san and Gai-san, right?"

Shizune nodded and smiled timidly, "Yes, it's nice to meet you."

"Same here!" Rin replied cheerfully. Obito grinned.

"Me too! Welcome back to Konoha!" The boy practically had stars in his eyes as he looked at Naru. "So… do you have souvenirs?"

Tsunade shook her head as the older group watched the four. "They sure are lively. Well, it's nice to see Shizune interact with her age group again."

Minato nodded, before coughing into his hand. "Naru, Jiraiya, I'll need to hear your report on the mission." He nodded as the rest left; a mission report was always classified. They were expected to shut their ears and go away.

Jiraiya spoke, "Well, most of the mission was a complete success. We somehow managed to get Nagato and Konan on our side, and signed the peace treaty with all but one of the villages.

"Well, to keep it simple, we were smart to decide on finding Tsunade first before everything else. Had she and Shizune not come along, we would have been dead. Iwa was one troublesome thing, but Pain was a different matter entirely. We were lucky that the masked guy was away that time."

Naruto took on from here. "Nagato says that he and his loyal subordinates will help us against Tobi, and judging from his words, I'm guessing that they are firmly on our side."

Jiraiya sighed, "Though it's all good and happy, we need to get back to the missing treaty…"

Minato put on a solemn face, "And I'm guessing that Iwagakure was that one exception out of all the other villages?" He nodded, causing the Hokage to massaged the bridge of his nose. "I figured as much. Did they let you get out, or did you have to force your way?"

Naru answered for him. "They let us out, but before we left they gave us a condition to join the alliance agreement."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"To trade. They've focused too much on their shinobi's strengths, and completely discarded the medical unit. They were all for power, causing them to lose many of their ninjas. They want us to give them all of our medical techniques, in exchange for a person."

The Hokage frowned, "And who is that?"

"Deidara."

* * *

><p>"So where's Kakashi? I didn't want to set sensei even further into a bad mood so I didn't ask." Naru laughed, "Is he on a mission?"<p>

Rin nodded, "It seems like he left a week ago, but I'm pretty sure he's coming back today."

The blonde sighed as she looked around the streets. "It feels like I've been away for years instead of half of one. So how've you been while I was gone?"

"Ah, it feels like our teams going separate ways, you know? We're still tight as always, but it's… different, lately. Kakashi's requested and been assigned to so much missions ever since you went—it was worrying, to say the least."

Naru frowned, shaking her head, "That idiot. I'll be sure to get him to stop overdoing things…" She furrowed her brows, "Is he getting back safely?"

Rin waved a hand, "Don't worry; it's Kakashi we're talking about here. He'll be fine, and yes, he's only had minor scratches."

Naru let a breath out in relief. "That's good to hear." She then grinned, "So… how's it going between you and Obito?"

The medic nin sported a blush and mumbled, "It's going good. How about you and Kakashi? Did he write to you a lot?"

The Namikaze scowled, "Yes, he did, _a lot. _I never knew he had left a seal on me so that he could get one of his summonses to transport to me. A _seal, _which _I _never _noticed."_

Rin repressed the strong urge to laugh, "Where did he place it?"

"I still don't know. He only told me it's a rare one that only his dog summons knows about. Luckily he never sent a message at a critical time, though. That would have surely gotten me and the dog he transported killed."

Rin gave up, and erupted in a fit of laughter, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes as she doubled over in the middle of the streets. "That's priceless! Who would have thought Kakashi would do such a thing… Well, we surely know just by that act that he's the possessive type."

"Rin!" Naru yelped, tomato faced. "This is _serious _business! Honestly, that idiot…"

"Well, doesn't it make you happy he'll go that far though? I mean, surely it takes some chakra to do that?"

"I am, but… yeah." She ended lamely, cheeks still aflame. She then blinked, "So, where are we going again?"

"The Jounin Lounge!" Rin chirped happily. "We're gonna meet Anko and Kurenai there—Yeah, Kurenai's not a jounin, but it's fine as long as she looks like one, right?"

Naru rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>The blond swore; <em>it got so late! <em>She sighed, slowing her speed. It's not like Minato will be there, and she was strong enough to beat some thugs with her eyes closed.

She looked up at the moon, full and round. Now that she thought about it, the mysterious figure reminded her of a certain scarecrow.

That was when she heard an agonized groan.

No, it wasn't loud—it was _very _quiet, in fact. The sound had come from behind her, and that was when Naru saw him.

No wonder it had frozen her to the ground. That voice was the one she was oh so familiar with.

"Kakashi?" Her voice wavered, but it hadn't caught his attention—she was too far away.

She dragged her feet towards him, before quickening her pace. Before she knew it, she was running.

"Kakashi!" He jumped, resulting in another stifled groan of pain. "Oi, what's wrong?"

Naru was already by his side. Now that she was this close, she could feel just how low his chakra levels were. "What the hell were you doing?" Shaking her head, she supported him by draping his arm over her shoulder.

The two were in Naru's apartment in a second. The girl quickly switched on the lights, and gently left Kakashi on the couch. Scanning his injuries, a crease formed deeper and deeper between her brows.

He had only his sleeveless shirt on—mask attached—with had severe sword and claw marks littered _everywhere. _

Naru quickly took out her medical kit, and applied the basic medical jutsu on his worst wounds. "Kakashi, why didn't you go to the hospital?"

He chuckled lightly, "Heh, sorry you had to see me like this after such a long time."

"Answer the question, Hatake Kakashi!" Naru felt her eyes sting. "You scared me half to death, dammit!"

"I had to report to the Hokage, but you kidnapped me."

"Of course I'd take you here! That was the only thing I could think of seeing as the hospital was too far from where I found you!" She bit back.

Kakashi sighed, "I guess. Thanks."  
>Naru shook her head, before focusing on the cuts. "Well, they aren't as bad as they look, so I'll save you from my screeching. It's just the blood that makes it look the way they are."<p>

She took a wet towel and dabbed the surrounding blood on the wounds away. She froze, before looking up at Kakashi.

"You'll need to take off your shirt."

Kakashi turned rigid, before nodding slowly. Naru looked away, and when he was done she only focused on the angry red marks. Fighting down the blush, she cleaned the wounds, wincing every time he cringed.

"I thought the missions would settle after the peace treaty… I know I shouldn't ask, but did you fight with Iwa?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment. "No. I can tell you about it, since it has a lot to do with you." He sighed, "It was with Kumo; there was a group who rebelled against the alliance."

Naru pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. She climbed behind him, and worked on his back. "At least you didn't get poison in your system—I would have been lost at how to get it out. Kakashi, you should decrease the amount of missions you accept; this is really bad for you."

Getting the roll of bandage tape, she padded his arms lightly, and he complied with the quiet instruction. Wincing as he did so, Kakashi raised his arms to let her bind his wounds.

"So how was your trip?"

"It was fun, but I really missed you guys." Naru said as she slowly got off the couch, and looked at her work, nodding in approval. "You should still go to the hospital to take a look at this."

Kakashi smiled. "I'll do that." A corner of his lips tilted up in a smirk. "Only if I feel like it, though."

She sat in front of him, rolling her eyes. "This is the first time I've seen you so messed up. Were they tough?" Naru smiled softly, as she rested her cheek gently on his chest. "Or were you not paying attention?"

"Both." She felt a soft vibration as he spoke. "But it was more of the second one."

Naru frowned, and looked up, "Really? Why?"

"You were in my mind." He raised a lock of her hair, and brought it to his lips, smirking all the while. His eyes never left her crimson face.

"Did you practice flirting while I was gone?" She mumbled, stuffing her face in his chest again, hiding her unfortunately obvious blush.

Kakashi rested his head on hers, closing his eyes. "No. I'm just a natural at it." He combed through her hair, "You've cut it short."

"Yeah, you don't like it?"

"No, quite the opposite." He chuckled, "Now I won't have to worry so much about someone grabbing your insanely long hair anymore."

Naru shrugged, "I just don't want to give any more clues to Mom."

"Which reminds me; why haven't you told her?"

"I'm fine with what she thinks of me now―I don't want to make her worry or anything too much… I know she doesn't wish for her daughter to suffer the same childhood she had." She sighed, "I know that that will be what's on her mind if she found out about me."

Kakashi raised his head to look down at her, "That may be true, but it would surely wear off as time passes. You should think of your own happiness for once, Naru."

She linked eyes with his open one. "But I am already happy, Kakashi. Like right now—except for the fact that you're injured—I'm literally in bliss that I'm with you." She smiled brightly. "Not only this, too. I'm happy that I met everyone here. I'm happy I have the chance to help my old friends. Though I don't remember all the times I've had with them, I will always remember our bonds." She brought a hand to cup his cheek. "I feel absolutely satisfied with my life right now, Kakashi." He smiled, and tilted his head to the side of her hand, both eyes closed again.

He then blinked them open again, at the feel of something warm on his lips. His mind went blank when he realized that it was Naru's own, and at the thought that this was the first time she took the initiative. He smiled into the kiss, and snaked a hand behind her neck. Naru tangled her hands with his silvery hair in response.

Seconds ticked by, and she absently noticed that the kiss was getting more and more intense, powered by the months of them being apart. Her mind was becoming faint, and she wasn't able to think any further. She needed air.

Softly, she placed her arms on his chest, and split her lips from his. Panting, she leaned her head on his shoulder, making sure to be careful of the scratches.

"Well, I guess this could be counted off as one of those three wishes you owe me."

Naru furrowed her brows, "Huh?" She sat up, eying him oddly.

"You forgot? That incident with Gai, remember?"

A long silence stretched, before the Namikaze paled visibly. "You still remember that?"

His smirk said it all.

She sighed, "Fine. Well, do you want to stay over? Your chakra levels tell me that you won't make it to your house, and obviously not to the tower."

He shook his head, preparing to stand. "It's alright, I won't faint or any—" He convincingly fell back on the couch, and cursed as a jolt of pain ran through his body.

"That's what I'm telling you about!" Naru quickly checked if any of his wounds reopened. "Honestly, Kakashi, if you need to report that badly, I'll send a toad to Dad—he's probably already gone home."

He was about to nod, giving up, before the blood in his veins froze to ice; Minato would _kill _him if he found out that he was going to stay at Naru's!"Fine, I'll stay, but you don't have to send a summon—I'll report tomorrow."

She knit her brows together in confusion, "Huh? But don't you need to—"

"No! It's okay to leave it for tomorrow." He rushed, clutching her shoulders desperately.

"Well, alright… if you say so…" She raised a brow, before shaking her head. "I'll go get the sewing kit to patch your shirt up, and then I'll wash it, alright?"

"Thanks, but you don't have to—"

She merely grinned, waving dismissively, "Don't worry; just rest, okay?"

Kakashi watched her retreating back until she disappeared in the corridor, and brought his finger tips to his bare lips.

He smiled like an idiot.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sniffed the air, slowly opening his eyes. Looking around the room as he sat up on the bed, he recalled memories of the previous night. His lips curled up, and he turned to the bedside table, his sleeveless shirt neatly folded.<p>

Putting it on—he left the mask pooled around his neck—he noted that all the torn cloth was replaced by another, similar in color. He furrowed his brows—did she go out to buy the material? Most likely, judging by her caring personality. He shook his head, eyes softening. He closed his Sharingan eye, feeling the slight chakra drain.

He sniffed again, smelling eggs being fried. Following his nose, he wound up in the living room. He blinked.

Naru hadn't noticed him, too busy cooking in the open kitchen. She tasted something—probably soup—in the pot, before smiling to herself.

"Do you need help with anything?" She looked up, turning to Kakashi with surprise. She grinned.

"Nah, it's alright. You can sit on the table; I'll be done in a minute."

He nodded, doing as she suggested. Kakashi silently watched her, while he thought to himself. With the matter of reporting to Minato… _I guess I can twist it a little and say it took me one more day… _

Naru raised a brow as she set the food on the dining table, "You seem to be thinking hard. Want to share?"

He shook his head, "Just relaying my report to myself." He blinked. "Looks good."

"Right?" Naru grinned as she sat down, "Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu." Kakashi took a bite, and met her expectant stare with a smile. "It's better than it looks; I didn't know eggs could taste this good."

Naru blushed at the compliment, rubbing the back of her neck. "Heh, thanks." The doorbell rang, causing her to get up. "I wonder who that is…"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side, before chugging some orange juice down—

"Hey, Da—Minato-sensei!"

―and spat it out.

He cursed,before looking for somewhere to hide, putting up his mask. Hopefully Naruto wouldn't mention—

"Kakashi's here, too, do you guys want to join breakfast?"

_Ah, forget it. _Kakashi sighed as he slumped on his chair. He heard stomping, and it seemed like lightning thundered.

"What is _Kakashi _doing here?" Minato asked, with a sickly sweet smile plastered on his face. The Hatake paled, before cursing at the small figure behind the Yellow Flash.

_So he brought Itachi along. Just perfect._

* * *

><p>"Eh, Kushina-neechan? What did you just say?" Naru grinned wildly, already knowing the answer.<p>

"I'm going to have a _baby! _Minato's baby!" The woman smiled back, patting her stomach. "I'm so excited!"

"I figure you would be. So, did you come up with names for both genders?"

Kushina nodded, "Well, Minato suggested the idea of naming the child after peace, so maybe 'Kazuko' if it's a girl, or 'Kazuhi' if it's a boy… but we're still not sure."

Naru hummed thoughtfully. "There's still a lot of time to choose, so don't worry too much on that, I guess."

"Hey, Naru, why _was _Minato so mad this morning? And I was _sure _I saw _blood _on his hands."

She cringed. "He misunderstood greatly, and reopened Kakashi's wounds."

"Really? What did he―"

"Ah!" She checked the time, before picking up her things, and Kushina just barely saw Naru's flaming face. "Sorry, Neechan! I have to go now!"

"Take care!" Hearing the door shut close, the fiery woman smirked, _avoiding the question, eh?_

* * *

><p>Naru grinned to herself, as she arrived at the Hokage's office. "Hey, sensei, Ero-sennin!"<p>

"Honestly, brat, that nickname…"

"Not now, Jiraiya-sensei. They're depending on us, and we can't afford for you both to be late."

Both nodded once, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

><p>Rin looked at Obito in shock, "What! Naru's going to <em>Suna? <em>Right after coming back from that super long mission?"

"Seems like it. I don't know the details, but they need it for her and Jiraiya-sama's sealing expertise or something."

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? Anything major that I need to change? Also, are there any mistakes that I should take note of in future chapters (stuff like the differences between 'blond' and 'blonde'? I just noticed that I probably made some errors on that). <strong>

**Yup! 'Naru' was the winner for the name poll thing! I was surprised at the number of votes there were for that. Sorry to the people who wanted 'Naruto' to stay. Well, I need to change all the chapters now…**

**But since my eyes hurt, I'll leave it for later. I'll get the Rin and Obito one-shot posted in the prequel soon (not sure when, but soon) since it belongs there. **

**So… can you guess why Naru's going to Suna? **

**Well, I think the answer's kinda obvious… but it might just be me?**

**Please review! X) **


	2. Chapter 2

Naru sighed in relief at the sight of the familiar sandy, dome shaped buildings, ignoring the way Jiraiya rolled his eyes at her. Giving the guards a nod, she skipped inside the village.

The two Konoha ninjas were kindly greeted by an anxious Yashamaru and quickly brought to the Kazekage's office. The Sand Village's leader stood, face hard and serious.

"Jiraiya and Namikaze Naruto, it's a pleasure to see you again." Said both had just barely saw a smile play on the man's lips, "I initially planned on sealing the beast, Shukaku, into my third son, but I have decided to go along with your suggestion instead."

Naru let out a breath she had been holding, grinning brightly. Jiraiya's lips quirked up in a smile, "We're glad to hear that. Would you like for Naru to start?"

"Yes, that is if Naruto would be fine with that."

The blonde nodded, "Absolutely. But Kazekage-sama, call me Naru! It's a syllable shorter."

He shook his head in amusement, "That's not much of a difference, is it, Naruto?" The girl huffed. "Well, I would very much appreciate it if you would begin." He turned to his wife's bother, who had been silently watching the interaction with well hidden disbelief. "Lead them to where we keep the demon."

"Hai, Kazekage-sama." The three left, going down corridors and down the building. Without looking back at Naru and Jiraiya, Yashamaru inquired, "How are you on such good terms with him? In all honesty, I've never seen Kazekage-sama openly show positivity."

"Ah, it's a little complicated," Naru waved dismissively, "so let's just say that we bombarded him with many pleasant ideas and plans that would definitely help this village thrive."

He looked back at the two, an eyebrow raised. He turned back to the door that was heavily locked in front of them, "Well, I'm not sure what you want to do with _it, _but if you make even just _one _mistake, it would cost _all of us."_

Jiraiya nodded, "Ah, don't worry. We're efficient in seals, and Naru here has the trump card. All that matters is how she'll use it."

"Let's just hope you play your cards right, then."

With that, the door creaked open.

* * *

><p>Rin sighed, "Kakashi, if you keep up that attitude, eventually we'll have to kick you out."<p>

"That's what I'm hoping for." The Hatake replied snappishly. "Why the hell do I have to stay in here, when I'm fully capable of taking care of myself at home? It reeks of anesthetics."

Obito rolled his eyes at him. "Well, this is a hospital, if you haven't noticed. And you know, if you keep your _face _like that, eventually it would stay that way. I'm sure Naru wouldn't appreciate it." He received a glare. "Oi, what did I just say?"  
>"You should be glad your girlfriend ran into you. It would have become quite troublesome for us had she not fixed up most of your wounds." Tsunade's voice caught the attention of the three as she entered the room. "And I swear Minato can be such an idiot sometimes." She shook her head in disapproval, checking off a few boxes in her paper.<p>

"You should see him with Kushina." Kakashi muttered, "You wouldn't be able to call him _just _an idiot."

Obito and Rin spoke in unison, voice monotone. "Agreed."

The woman rolled her eyes. She gave Kakashi an once-over, nodding while doing so. "Good, good. You're doing a fine job, Rin, keep up the good work. Kakashi, you'll be fine to leave by tomorrow." And with that, she walked off, heels clicking.

"Why do I always get the feeling that a storm's gonna happen every time she's around?" Obito shivered. "She's creepy, man. And that rack doesn't cover for it."

Rin smacked his head lightly.

"Learn how to respect, Baka!"

"I have to agree with the idiot. I can't comprehend what Jiraiya-sama sees in her."

The door slid open with a loud slam, and, much to the horror of the teens, Tsunade had appeared. On her face was a twisted, sickly sweet smile.

"Hatake, you'll have to stay for another week. I believe I have forgotten to _check _one of your wounds."

Obito couldn't even snicker at the obvious peril that was about to fall on his male teammate.

* * *

><p>"Well, this is a boring place to be cramped in." Naru commented. "But I guess it's cool to be inside a gigantic kettle once in a while."<p>

"**Not if you're trapped in here with no means of escape!"** Shukaku screeched as he had his claw raised to squash her.

Just before it managed to do so, however, a red, bubbly, claw shaped chakra seeped out of her.

"**What the hell are **_**you **_**doing here, Kurama?" **Naru winced at the venom dripping in the tanuki's tone. **"It's worse enough I have to be stuck here in this shit hole, so why do **_**you **_**have to appear?"**

"**Funny, I recall you clinging on to me like that monkey Goku and screaming in my ear, 'Nii-san!' every five seconds when we were younger." **The Nine Tailed Beast smirked as he came into form.

"**Shut up! I just didn't know any better then. Hey, don't compare me with that ol' buffoon!" **The raccoon-dog growled, **"Had I known you would turn into such a prejudgemental—"**

**"That's not a word, dimwit."**

"—**bastard I woulda—"**

Naru raised a brow, looking back at her lifelong partner, "He's not going to shut up, is he?"

The giant, red and furry figure shook his head.

After a while of listening to the loudmouth demon rant, Naru stared in awe. "Amazing, he hasn't even noticed that we weren't listening."

"—**and I'll have you know that the Ol' Sage just thought it would be kinda cool for each of us to have a number! **_**Not **_**because he wanted to show the difference in power! Being one's pretty awesome! At least I don't look like a mutant—Hey! You listenin' to me?"**

"**You finally noticed we weren't?" **Kurama rolled his eyes. **"I thought you would have improved through the decades. Looks like I was wrong."**

"**You―You… Grah!" **The one tailed beast had kicked the walls of the kettle that confined them, resulting in him clutching his foot in pain. Naru cringed; even _she _felt embarrassment for the guy. Then, Shukaku pointed accusingly at her. **"What the hell's that thing doin' here?"**

Rolling her eyes, the Namikaze huffed, "I have a _name, _and I'm not a _thing. _Uzumaki Naruto, known as Namikaze Naru here, a not-your-normal human girl at your service!"

"**Oi, bastard, you're babysitting **_**this **_**brat?" **Naru aggravatingly tugged at her hair. **"Who would've thought you'd stoop this low! Ahaha! The world's gonna end!" **Shukaku did a combination of screaming, screeching and cackling.

Surely, even the readers would understand that this was not at all pleasant to hear.

Kurama sighed. This was going to take them longer than they thought.

* * *

><p>Rin scoffed, "Serves you right."<p>

"I thought that medic were supposed to _heal _people." Said Obito, who was sporting a black eye. On the bright side, it was fading. He rubbed his neck sheepishly at the sympathetic gazes he received, mostly from the civilians they crossed in the street.

"You forget the fact that she's also a ninja."

"_Rin…" _He whined. "You're supposed to be on my side. Tsunade-baachan was being unreasonable!"

"Quit with that disrespect towards Tsunade-sama! It's bad enough Naru calls her that!"

Obito scoffed, before scrunching his nose. "Speaking of Naru, she just came back, and yet she gets sent away on a mission three days after! What's up with that?" Kakashi sighed in exasperation, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Obito, stop complaining. It's destroying my eardrums."

"What? She's _your _girlfriend. Aren't you even a _little upset _about that?"

His voice was laced with irritation. "She's a kunoichi, and has missions to do. Besides, I need to train; she probably improved greatly while I was off on my own missions."

Rin whipped her head towards the silver haired boy, attempting to stop him, "Kakashi, wait—" He disappeared with a puff of smoke, cutting her off. She glared at the leaves left behind. "That idiot. He's supposed to rest."

Obito hummed and nodded thoughtfully, "Yup, he's certainly upset." He yelped when the brunette next to him pinched his arm. "Ow! What did I do?"

Rin shook her head at him, "Don't pester him, Obito."

"Mm." He sighed, and casually brought his arms behind his head. "But, I know you can't deny that he's slowly turning back to the Kakashi before that Iwa mission."

Despite the number of missions they had done that concerned Iwa, Rin had known just which one he meant; it was unforgettable. "He needs her that much, eh?"

"_We all _need her that much. Anko's changing for the better, remember? And don't forget the Uchiha clan."

Rin had a smile on her face at the memory of Fugaku's lips lifting up slightly when Itachi brought his friends over. "Mm, certainly."

* * *

><p>Okay, things weren't looking so good. Naru watched, absolutely wary, Shukaku's eye flash ominously, and her partner's small curse wasn't helping. Her hands inched closer to her holster, and that seemed to cause the one tailed demon to cackle.<p>

"**You think a puny bunch of toys you call weapons will leave a scratch on a giant, powerful being like me?"**

Kurama flicked his eyes at his former friend, then down at Naru. He scowled, **"You're using **_**that **_**so early? He isn't—"**

"Aah, I know that!" She snapped. _Tie him down!_

Grumpily complying with her demand, his tails prolonged and swirled around Shukaku's limbs in a blink of an eye. The furry whips tightened its grip around the other beast's wrists and ankles when he tried to thrash around.

Naru took this chance and ran forward, whipping out a slip of paper with two of her fingers and bringing it to her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she closed the distance between her and Shukaku, and she jumped high using chakra.

Now her body was level with his face, so she slammed the seal to his forehead.

First calling the name of the jutsu she was using in her head, she then cried, "Fūin!"

Instead of falling flat on the ground, something soft and furry caught her. She sat up, and realized that Kurama had offered a tail. "Thanks."

He snorted, but didn't say anything. Naru got off, patting away the dust from her pants. She flashed her partner a victory sign, grinning.

But the bright smile wore off from her face at the piercing bloodlust oozing out from the demon behind her.

* * *

><p>Iruka pouted as he stared out the window, completely ignoring the boring teacher. He let his eyes follow the flock of birds then shifted them to the toddlers playing at a playground in envy. And then, out of sheer, desperate boredom, he counted the people in the streets.<p>

"Iruka!" The teacher shouted, causing him and some of his other classmates to jump. "Pay attention to class!"

Itachi, who sat next to the tanned boy, scoffed at the sheepish head scratching his friend did. Not like it was Iruka's fault—even the Uchiha was having trouble staying awake in class. The way the chunin drawled had caused half of the class to sleep, hiding behind their textbooks.

He blinked at Haruhi, who was paying full attention on the other side of him. She hurriedly wrote her notes, wide, milky eyes concentrating on the board. He rested his head on his palm, watching her from the corner of his eyes. Itachi sighed, before doing the same as she and copied down what was on the blackboard.

Once the bell signaled the end of class, Haruhi packed her things, and blinked, remembering something. She turned to see Iruka and Itachi leaving. "Ah, Itachi-kun!" The boy stopped to look back expectantly, causing the girl to fidget slightly. "Um, it's just that I thought you were looking at me, so I was wondering if you needed some notes."

Iruka blinked in surprise, and then gaped in shock when Itachi seemed to look embarrassed at having been caught. "It's just that I was admiring how you were able to concentrate. But, if it's not too much trouble, may I look at them? I think I missed quite a lot of what the teacher told us."

"Oh, thank you." Haruhi had a light blush staining her cheeks. "It's fine; you two can come over if you want—I'm sure Father won't mind. And I'm sure Iruka missed the whole class." She said with a joking smile, giggling when said boy spluttered.

"Haruhi-chan! I _did _pay attention!" And then he whooped, "Study party at Haruhi's!"

"Thank you for the invitation, Haruhi-san. We'll try not to cause trouble." Itachi shot Iruka a warning glance. "And we'll leave as soon as we can."

"Aw!"

The three went out and dashed to their mothers for permission. Haruhi beamed at the two boys running to her, nodding.

The Hyuuga woman next to the girl smiled warmly, "You must be Iruka and Itachi! Thank you two for always sticking with Haruhi over here."

Iruka grinned, "She's fun to be around! We think of her as our best friend!" Itachi nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that. Ah! My name is Kazumi, and I'm her mother."

Itachi bowed, and Iruka saluted, "Pleased to meet you, Kazumi-san!"

Kazumi let a small laugh, "Pleased to meet you, too, Iruka, Itachi." She ruffled their hair, "Let's go—I just baked some cookies, and I think it would be nice if you would try them before it cools down too much."

The three six year olds grinned.

* * *

><p>"You got a baby?" Mikoto slammed her hands flat on the table in shock.<p>

Kushina grinned, "Mmhm! Three weeks pregnant!"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She whined uncharacteristically. "Best friends are supposed to tell _everything _to each other!"

"I'm sorry, but isn't this great? Our babies might become besties, too!"

Mikoto smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, imagine that! We'll have picnics, dinner, lunch, breakfast every weekends!"

The two squealed at the thought, and clasped hands together. "That would be so nice!" they said in perfect unison. Fugaku had come by in the dining room at that precise moment, took one look at them, shook his head, and walked away rubbing a temple. He had never understood the concept of women and their behaviors, and didn't plan on trying now.

Mikoto sighed happily, "Tea and crumpets! Like they do in the movies!"

"Ew, no." Kushina scrunched her nose at the idea, and imitated one scene she remembered, "They hold cups like this, don't they?" She held the handle of an imaginary teacup, sticking out her pinky.

"Mm… that is quite pathetic." Mikoto concluded from the redhead's performance. "Kakashi and Naru would certainly not appreciate being forced to do something like that, too."

"Kakashi and Naru?" Kushina repeated questioningly, before her eyes shone. "Ah, I see.

Speaking of which, I can _definitely _see that boy becoming my son-in-law!"

"Son?" Mikoto blinked. "But… Naru's your sister-in-law…?"

The Uzumaki smiled, but her eyes were downcast. "I'm having my… suspicions lately, 'koto. Well… I can't really say lately—I've been having this feeling even before her training trip with Jiraiya."

Mikoto furrowed her brows, seriousness replacing her humor from earlier. "Suspicions?" She paused, before nodding slowly. "I've been having similar thoughts as well. You two are so alike… and I feel that Fugaku's hiding something from me. Something big." She kept her voice low, despite her husband being rooms away now.

"Mm. I think the same with Minato. With his whole team and Jiraiya-san for that matter."

Mikoto's brows knit together further, "But it's… impossible. Naru—She's fourteen, too old to be…"

Kushina ran a hand through her long, fiery red hair. "Exactly. It's confusing the hell out of me, Mikoto. And with the way Minato's been jittery the whole time…" She inhaled deeply. "Adding to the fact that all five countries have suddenly become cooperative with us during the time span of Naru and Jiraiya's six months trip…"

"You've surely noticed the obvious change in this clan right, Kushina?" Mikoto frowned, and continued after she received a nod. "Naru… she had a meeting with Fugaku for the first time, and it had only been a couple of hours, but he looked like he had changed into a new man! He had called up a clan meeting so suddenly and when we were all tense, wondering what he wanted… He told us he's changing the clan ways!"

"What…?"

"He said we should participate in public affairs. He basically told us to loosen up—"

Kushina scoffed, "About time."

"—and that caused the elders to blow up! They were so furious, Kushina! And he _knew _they would react that way, yet he had gone up and done it!" She continued as if she wasn't interrupted. "But… well, after seeing the great effects, the elders had finally gotten off his case, and actually appreciated it. Our clan completely changed for the _better _thanks to Namikaze Naruto!"

Kushina sucked in a breath and hissed it out. "Naru… she had done all that?"

Mikoto nodded intently, "Yeah. I feel like he's hiding something important. Fugaku's showing open affection for crying out loud! He… instead of worrying about outside appearances and the strength of power this clan has, he worries about his family's happiness!"

"That a bad thing?"

"No, it's just… it all seems… like a dream." Mikoto said with a sigh. "A dream that I'm bound to wake up from sooner or later. A dream that, after having gotten used to and loving it, would shatter in a matter of seconds."

Kushina massaged the bridge of her nose. "I see." Shaking her head, she offered a weary smile, "All this thinking's making me sick. Let's talk about something else."

Mikoto clearly brightened up at the change. "Well, back to Kakashi and Naru, Fugaku's been sulking about it for quite a while now." At her best friend's questioning gaze, she explained with a giggle. "Apparently, he's been hoping for Naru to stay single until Itachi finally comes of proper age for them to date. He seems to think of her as a daughter he never had. Well, same goes with me. It feels like we have found something we've been unconsciously wanting, you know?"

Kushina laughed, "Really? Naru and Itachi… All I can see is six year old Itachi-kun being piggybacked by her." She laughed harder at the image of the boy wrapping his arms around the blonde's neck, suffocating her.

"Pft. Well, I've been given quite the scare at seeing Itachi cling onto her the first time we met."

"Oh?" Indigo eyes twinkled in mirth, "Do tell."

* * *

><p><strong>I was trying to tell you it wouldn't work.<strong> Kurama's exasperated voice rang in Naru's head. **He's too restless to be sealed by that tissue you made with Jiraiya. **

Ignoring him, Naru jumped back just in time to avoid the gigantic claw that crashed on the ground. It formed an equally enormous crater. _Damn it, I need to make a new seal fast! _

She widened her eyes and was unable to prepare herself for the major sound blast Shukaku had brought down at her.

Flying back, her ears pounded painfully and her vision was blurred. Her mind was in jumbles, and had Kurama not knocked the other beast with a swing of his tail, she would have been as flat as a pancake. The Nine Tails had taken charge of fighting Shukaku, and was on equal level of power due to most of his chakra being contained in Naru.

Naru cursed; how was she supposed to concentrate in this state? _Well, it's not like I have a choice! _She molded chakra, cringing when she added in too much and burned her hands. Her hands had taken a forest green color, before lightening and changing to lime. Quickly, she brought it up to her ears before it could revert back into its original color.

_Tajuu: Kage Bunshin!_

The many clones dashed for Shukaku with a growing, crimson ball at their hands. Their eyes shifted from sky blue to blood red, the pupils morphing into slits. The whisker marks were more defined and the jutsu in their hands were now the same size as them.

"**Vermillion Rasengan!"**

Explosions sounded, bringing another wave of pain in her mind and ears as Naru tried to complete the new seal. A drop of sweat rolled its way down the side of her face, lips pursed and eyes narrowed in concentration.

She finally raised her bloody thumb away from the paper and wiped it on her black jacket. Naru watched up at the fallen Shukaku with determined blue eyes. Her clones had gathered and then disappeared, leaving smoke behind in their place. Using this to her advantage, she ran into it, as silent as she can muster.

The silhouette of the One Tail's form had made her crouch further, and brought the slip of paper to her lips.

Kurama went back into his host's body, knowing she'll need his chakra to combine with hers to make this seal more effective. He sent a large portion of his chakra the same moment Naru had placed the seal on the weakened Shukaku's forehead.

"**Eien Kangoku, fūin!"**

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the absence of an update! T^T <strong>

**I've decided which gender the baby will be and the name, but I'll keep it a surprise! :D I won't use the name "Naruto" for the baby, either, because that name belongs to Naru. **

**Thanks for the many reviews! I'm glad many of you enjoyed the first chapter!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

"**Gochisousamadeshita (****ごちそうさまでした****)"= Thank you for the meal (said after eating). Slightly more polite than merely saying "gochisousama." By the way, "Itadakimasu (いただきます)," meaning "Let's eat" or something like that, is said before eating a meal. **

**In this chapter, "Anata**** (****あなた****)"= "Dear; honey" (something a wife would call her husband). In normal conversations and stuff, it means "you." AND "anta (あんた)" means the same but in an impolite way. **

* * *

><p>"Naruto!" Jiraiya crouched instantly, helping the girl sit up. "How did it go? Does your head hurt?"<p>

Yashamaru had his eyes wide open, and once he got out of his stupor he looked back to see multiple firm and thick gold chains wrapping the pot securely. Once the glowing red seals seeped inside it, the lock clicked shut.

Naru grinned sleepily, "Nah, I'm fine. It went well; Shukaku was quite tough, though." She yawned and stretched her arms, "Well, we need to report to the Kazekage."

"Don't worry about that, Naruto." The deep voice caught their attention, and the three turned to see Sunagakure's leader come in. Yashamaru bowed as did Jiraiya, while Naru merely grinned. "Everything went as planned, then?"  
>"Yes, sir!" She saluted, "Though there were a few miscalculations, and a few things went a bit haywire, it turned out fine in the end."<p>

The Kazekage nodded in approval and thanked her, before turning to Yashamaru, "Take them to their rooms; I have sent a few of our maids to prepare them, so the places they are staying should be available."

"Hai, Kazekage-sama."

Jiraiya stayed behind to explain a few things about the seal, so Yashamaru took Naru to her room. "I have to say, Namikaze-san, I'm surprised that Konoha has such promising ninjas. I was very impressed with your seal." He praised as she sat down on the bed.

Naru scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Thanks, Yashamaru-san! Though E—Jiraiya-sensei teaches… differently from other people, I learn a lot from him. The seal I used today is just one of those many seals he taught me."

"Oh?" He seemed amused. "What kind of method does he use to tutor you?"

"Well, he tells me the jutsu or seal's name, shows me the basic instructions on how to use it—without being elaborate, of course—and goes off to leave me to solve it on my own."

"That is… I don't know what to say to that, actually." Yashamaru blinked, "So it works?"

"Oh, yeah, it works out. I can also create more techniques that way, too." Naru grinned, before it turned to a grimace, "But the seals can be a little… tricky."

"Ah, I see." He winced at the many ways a fuuinjutsu could go wrong. He then turned thoughtful, "I've sort of asked this before, but how are you on such familiarity with Kazekage-sama?"

"Remember Jiraiya-sensei and I visited last time?" He nodded. "Well, we were on a mission to form peace treaties with the five nations."

* * *

><p><em><span>Nearly five and a half months in the past<span>_

On the way to the Kazekage tower, the citizens and shinobi had watched the two Konoha ninjas with hostility. Jiraiya sighed uneasily as he looked down at Naru's unrevealing expression; her face had stayed the same ever since the second the village laid eyes on them.

The guards that escorted them to the tower had all but politely jabbed them in the back with a kunai, nicely telling them to "hurry up."

They finally arrived at the Suna leader's office, greeted by the Kazekage's hard glare as he stood up from his seat. Yashamaru had taken one look at the two, nodded to the chunin guards, and bowed to the Kazekage, dismissing himself from whatever conversation they were having. Yashamaru shot Naru and Jiraiya a warning glance, before quietly leaving the room.

"Now what do I owe the pleasure of having two Konoha shinobi in my presence?"

Jiraiya ignored the resentment laced in the emphasized word and replied. "Kazekage-sama, we have come to form an agreement with Sunagakure."

"Well, I supposed that would be the case—what other reason would you have to come all this way?" Naru mumbled grumpily at that, but her mentor silenced her.

"We would like to form a peace treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure."

"That has already been proposed, has it not?" The Kazekage eyed them with unhidden suspicion.

Naru twitched in irritation, but managed to keep it out of her tone. "Yes, Kazekage-sama, but it is very clear that you resent Konoha for indirectly taking away—well, I guess I in your eyes, stole—your daimyo's attention."

The Kazekage scoffed, "You do realize that a treaty, no matter how good on terms the two civilizations are, is a give and take agreement?"

Before Naru could slip her tongue, Jiraiya spoke. "Yes, we do, so we have a proposition that can also be a compensation for being the cause of Sunagakure's loss of supplies."

"Oh? Humor me."

"We'll fix Shukaku's seal up for you."

* * *

><p>Yashamaru stared incredulously at her, "Jiraiya-sama just… said that? I'm surprised you managed to survive."<p>

"I know; I think even I would have been able to handle it better." Naru muttered. "Anyway, after that—well, let's just say the Kazekage didn't take that lightly."

* * *

><p>"… Excuse me?"<p>

Naru sighed, "We heard of the news; our Kage caught word that you keep the One Tails inside a—what was it? A kettle? Well, whatever you stuffed it inside in wouldn't work—it would eventually get out."

"We don't plan to keep it there any longer. I'm not sure how our secret got out, but we know what we're doing—"

Jiraiya raised a white brow. "I doubt sealing it in your soon-to-be-born baby would be very effective, either. It would most likely make the poor child insane, and it would cost at least one life to seal the demon. Your wife's life would be in vain."

"Then what do you propose? I would like to hear it, since all you've been spouting is our possible faults." The Kazekage's eyes flashed in anger, but that was all that was shown. "It would make me feel a lot better to point out the many mistakes you will have in your idea, Jiraiya-sama."

Naru refrained from growling. "Jiraiya-sensei and I are proficient in seals, and by the time we'll get back to Konoha after our six-months training trip I would probably be able to earn the title of a seals mistress. I assure you, we can seal up Shukaku properly." She turned to Jiraiya, who got the silent message and continued from where she left off.

"If you agree to the treaty, we will seal the demon into your newborn baby properly—we'll use the same sealing technique as the one we used for our Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

Naru nodded, and neither commented on the one weakness the seal they mentioned had—childbirth. Gaara was—or going to be, anyways—a boy, after all, so it wouldn't concern him.

The Kazekage thought for a moment, "I see, but what good would come out of this on Konoha's part?" He was obviously still skeptic about the idea.

"As much as Suna's. Our village seeks peace, Kazekage-sama, and we plan on uniting all five nations. It may seem ludicrous," Naru studied the man's tiny hint of incredulity on his normally stoic face, "but we're slowly getting closer to it. We have Kumogakure at our side, and if you agree to the treaty, we'll go to Iwa next."

"_Iwa?_ Has your Hokage gone senile?"

The only response his comment received was a frown, before she shook her head.

Sighing, the man looked soberly at her. _"I've _probably gone senile for saying this, but I will take my chances." He sat down on his pillowed chair, rubbing his temples. "I want what is best for my children and my village; so, as you can see, this compromise would do well for me as a father and a Kazekage."

Her blue eyes flickered, and elation lighted her features. With a smile, she said, almost giddily, "Great! Well, since it's a give-and-take sort of agreement—a compromise we're dealing with here, I'll need to write it all down in a scroll." Pulling out a thin scroll, she grinned, and began setting it up on the desk, not minding if the Kazekage was bothered by this.

Jiraiya sighed, sending an apologetic glance to the younger man. However, much to his surprise, the redhead looked quite amused.

* * *

><p>Yashamaru took a moment to process what had happened almost half a year ago in his mind, until something seemed to click in his mind. <em>"You two went to Iwa?" <em>He whispered, more to himself than at Naru.

"Yup. Though, they were _much _more hostile towards us than Suna ever was." She grinned, before widening her eyes and looked side to side frantically. "Ah, I nearly forgot that the rest were classified."

He watched her laugh nervously as she scratched her head, slightly mesmerized by her personality. Her atmosphere was so much like his sister's.

The door was knocked twice before it opened. "Hey, brat; hello, Yashamaru-san." Jiraiya drawled as he gave a half-hearted wave.

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama. Yashamaru tilted his head in a bow, "I'll take my leave now; I have a few things I'll need to talk to Kazekage-sama about."

"Hm? Oh, 'kay, nice talking to ya, Yashamaru-san!"

Once the young ANBU left, the expression on Jiraiya's face changed instantly to grim and sober. Naru narrowed her eyes; she had named it 'The Look.'

His voice took on a serious tone, unlike the light one from before. "Does he remember anything else about the seal?" Jiraiya asked, pointedly staring at her stomach.

"No. It seems like the seal completely erased all the knowledge he had about the jutsu Sa—Sasuke used. Although, luckily, it didn't do anything with Kurama's memories since the technique was directed at me."

Jiraiya sighed. "Well, it seems like you still remember the names from your time period." At her warning look, he waved it off, "Don't worry; I made sure Yashamaru-san left and that there was no one else around."

"Mm. I still remember some of the times I had with my old friends—the important ones. I can still feel a strong bond with them, too, but now… the feeling I had towards Sasuke changed." Naru let a sad smile touch her lips, and fell back to lie on the bed. "Deep friendship only remains. When we got back to Konoha, I felt like I belonged there."

"What do you mean?"

"I felt that there, at this time period, is where I am meant to be." She laughed quietly. "When I first stumbled in this timeline, at the beginning, I felt as if I was shrouded in loneliness. Everything around me felt so far away—so unreachable. I didn't belong here; that's what I thought.

"But meeting everyone, being with everyone, it made me start _wanting _to belong. I knew that I _wanted _to _live _with everyone. I wanted to cry and laugh with everyone. The weight on my shoulders lifted a little with each passing day. And being with Ero-sennin, Dad, and Mom made up for the childhood I had without a real family." Determination sparked azure blue eyes and Naru stretched out her hand, as if to catch the ceiling's light. "I won't let _him _win. I won't let Tobi take everything away from me again." Squeezing it tight, she got up, a grin on her whiskered face.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Well, we'll have to work hard for that won't we? Let's start training!"  
>"What! Now?" Naru plopped back on the comfy bed, yawning loudly. "Lemme sleep for fifteen minutes or something."<p>

Jiraiya ended up dragging the girl out by her feet.

* * *

><p>"So you're naming him Sasuke? Why does that name ring a bell…?" Kushina asked as she cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to sort her brain out.<p>

Mikoto rolled her eyes, and tiptoed to place a plate in the cupboard. "You've never been great at history. We named the baby after Sarutobi Sasuke-sama, Sandaime-sama's father. He was an amazing shinobi, remember!" Mikoto smiled, "We named Sasuke after him in hopes that he would be just as skilled and powerful."

"Hmm…"

"Say, have you found anything behind the mystery of Namikaze Naruto?" Mikoto asked as she rested her elbows on the counter with her head in her hands to face Kushina.

"Nope, no clue. Had I not known Minato since we were in the academy, I wouldn't have known that he was lying—since when was he such a great liar?"

The Uchiha woman furrowed her brows, "Well, if he would lie straight through his teeth even to his wife, wouldn't that mean it's a top, _top _S-rank secret?"

"Most likely. I mean, who can _ever _resist my charms?" Flipping her fiery red hair back, she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Not appealing, Kushina."  
>"Ah, shut it, 'koto. You're a woman as well so of course it won't work on you." She stuck her tongue out. "So, I was thinking, maybe I should try working on Obito instead."<p>

"A little warning though—he's gotten a lot better. Don't underestimate him, alright?"

Kushina nodded glumly, "Fine… I'll try working my magic on Kakashi then."

"Your… magic." She repeated, before Mikoto shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Kushina. According to Obito, it seems like Kakashi's been in a bad mood recently. I don't think—"

"What! All the more reason to go to my little sister's boyfriend then!"

"Wha—Wait! Kushina!"

* * *

><p>"What is… this?" The fiery redhead stared, mouth agape, at what was supposed to be Training Ground Seven. Some trees looked as if they were bashed in, while others were exploded into bits and pieces. The ones left were cut cleanly and smooth, not a single splinter on the swiped surface.<p>

The ground had lines and curves, and on closer inspection, the grass was burnt. Kushina and Mikoto shared glances, faces equally pale and eyes wide.

"What do you want?" A low, exhausted and _dangerous _voice called. Finding the owner through their ears, the two women's eyes fell on the silver haired jounin they were looking for. He was sitting with his back to them and had turned his head slightly to see them from his Sharingan eye.

Kushina furrowed her brows in concern. "Kaka…shi?" The boy stood up silently. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Nothing." He curtly said, patting of the dirt from his torn sleeves and pants.

"Nothing? Nothing! Kakashi, how can you call this nothing?" The Uzumaki's voice rising, gesturing with her left arm at his appearance as Mikoto tugged at her right. "Your chakra… even I can sense that it's extremely low!"

"Kushina-san… I'm fine."

Mikoto grabbed Kushina by her waist, struggling to keep the other woman from breaking free and pounding the boy. "Kakashi-kun, this is—is _not_ fine! Hurry up and go—home! If you keep this up, I'll have to report to Hokage-sama about your behavior and—Oh, Kushina, would you just _stop?" _Huffing, said redhead did as the Uchiha wife said. "Back to what I was just saying; Kakashi, I'll report about your behavior and see to it that you're training time would be restricted. Obito's been telling me about how you're being moody all the time!"

Kakashi pinned her with a glare, not caring that he was being awfully impolite, before growling and stalking off.

Kushina frowned, keeping her eyes on his retreating back.

* * *

><p>Karura smiled warmly, "Pretty, excellently talented in her work, great personality… You're amazing, Naru-chan!" She lightly smacked her husband's arm, mock-glaring. "Why didn't you introduce her to me earlier?"<p>

He rolled his eyes, wiping his face with his handkerchief. "You needed your rest."

"Still!"

Naru grinned at the interaction between the couple, before clapping her hands together and saying, "Gochisousamadeshita!"

Karura blinked, before dipping her head down with a smile, "Hai! See, well-mannered, too."

"That's to be expected, Karura." The Kazekage scoffed, but had a trace of a smile. "It would be a problem if she didn't know the basics of mannerism."

Naru pouted, while Jiraiya chuckled, already finished with his dinner. "Exactly, as Kazekage-sama said! I've had a lot of trouble cramming her with training and all!"

"No you didn't, you lying Ero-sennin! You spent most of your effort and time by hitting on women and using up my money!" The man forced a loud laugh as he roughly ruffled her hair up.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun; you need to read underneath the underneath! I'm—although it may not look like it—actually showing you how to never trust men completely! We men are smart and cunning, so you need to learn to be just as sharp if you're going to live in this world!"  
>Karura laughed and one corner of the Kazekage's lips quirked upwards at their bickering. Jiraiya sighed, before facing the married couple. "Karura-sama, once the baby is born, Naruto and I will seal Shukaku in him directly from the kettle. Is that alright with you and Kazekage-sama?"<p>

"Hai," The two replied in unison, seriousness evident in their eyes. Karura smiled softly, gently rubbing her swollen stomach. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama, Naru. Without you two, I would have never been able to see Temari, Kankuro, and now Gaara grow up."

Naru attained a tender expression as she watched the woman's hand. "You're welcome, but it also benefits me, Karura-san. I just want the three to have a happy life." She brought her blue eyes down to her folded hands on her lap. "And I hope they would bond well with Konoha's next generation, especially my niece."  
>"Your niece?" Karura looked plenty more than pleased. "That would be great; don't you think so, anata?"<p>

The Kazekage grunted in agreement with a rare, pleasant smile.

* * *

><p>The door creaked open, revealing his sensei and village leader. "Yo, Kakashi. What are you up to?" The blond asked with a grin on his face.<p>

The teen scowled, "Being alone," and was about to slam the door.

Minato stopped him by stepping a foot up and grimaced at the pain that shot up. He smiled, although it was contradicted by the angry nerve threatening to pop at his temple. "Let's talk. How about that, Kakashi-kun?"

Seeing that he had no choice or say in the matter, said boy let Minato in, deepening his already deep scowl. "Fine. Tea?"

"Well, at least you still have your manners." The man smiled. "Yes, please."

Kakashi waited for the water to boil. "So? What do you want?" He took a cylinder container and popped it open. "Don't you have to stay in your office?"

"Kage Bunshin." Minato replied simply. "Naru gave me that as an advice—though I could never make as much as her."

"Such a waste of chakra."

"But it works."  
>"You didn't answer the first question." Steam came out from the spout, before the sound of the water boiling came to their ears. "I'll repeat, what do you want?"<p>

"Oi. That's no way to talk to your sensei, Hokage, _or _future father-in-law."

Kakashi raised a silver brow. "Future father-in-law?"

"I guess I was being a little immature—"

"A little?" The Hatake scoffed, before holding the handle of the kettle and pouring a bit of the hot water inside the teapot.

"—so I should suck it up and let Naru do whatever makes her happy. But… I'm starting to wonder now with how you're acting." Minato paused, watching Kakashi shake the pot slightly. "Ah, I see. You warm it up before putting the tea in."

"Mm." He took out the water and poured it in the sink, and placed the infuser on the tea kettle. Kakashi then scooped the tea leaves out from the container and in the infuser with a spoon. "What's bad with how I'm acting?"

"You know it, Kakashi. Are those solo missions getting to you?"

He didn't reply, pouring the boiling water.

"So that's what's turning you back to how you were like before Naru came?" Minato sighed. "Didn't I warn you, Obito, and Rin that those missions are different from the ones we did as a team? Was it the last mission I sent you on that bothered you most?"

Silence answered the question as Kakashi glared up at him.

"I see. Kakashi," Minato started soberly, seriousness replacing the light tone from earlier, "you have to understand that sometimes you fail. But you have to think positive; because you hunted down the killer, no more innocent people would have to die." The boy sighed, and poured the hot tea in two cups. Passing one to his sensei, Kakashi pulled out a chair and sat at the dining table.

"I should have been able to find him earlier. Then three children would have been saved."

Minato watched Kakashi for a moment. "If you want to make ANBU, Kakashi, you would have to move on. I'm not saying to forget it all, I mean that you should learn from this. Learn from your mistakes, and use that knowledge right so that you could save people." Closing his eyes, the blond man sipped his tea calmly. "Training until you collapse won't do you any good. It would weaken your mental state, and you won't be able to focus on a mission. If you want to grow stronger, do training that would help physically _and _mentally."

Kakashi nodded, staring down at the surface of his tea. Sky blue eyes softened, before the owner outstretched a hand to ruffle silver hair.

"Pull yourself together, Kakashi. Naru's coming back in a week or so—if you make her cry," Minato's smile suddenly turned devilish, "I'll be more than happy to kill you."  
>The fourteen year old gulped, before giving a weak glare. "You know that she doesn't cry so easily, right? Even if I did do something bad, she'll probably just knock the living daylights out of me."<br>"And I'd expect no less from my daughter."

"Don't forget that her mother's Kushina-san."

* * *

><p>"So how was he?"<p>

"I think he got better—but not enough that I'd let him into ANBU. Not yet."  
>The former Hokage nodded solemnly. "It's a great occupation, but can break even the toughest of men. Well, now that the relations between the Five Nations are strengthening, I guess it wouldn't be as harsh as it had been."<p>

"Kakashi may have the skills for it, but I think he should have some more experience." Minato sighed as he leaned against his desk, combing his hand through his blond hair. "Obito as well—those two are probably on equal terms now. Though, Obito's more trained and accustomed with his Sharingan. Kakashi would probably need more chakra.

"Rin is also improving drastically with her medical jutsu thanks to Tsunade-sama. I think she'll be able to master iryouninjutsu a few months before October."

Sarutobi nodded in approval. "Then she'll help teach other shinobi the basics of medical ninjutsu?" The blond's smile answered the question. "That's good. It would get us better prepared for what is to come."

"I just hope everything would go smoothly."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know why, but this chapter was sort of hard to write. It probably shows that I was forcing myself to complete it...?<strong>

**And happy (late) birthday to a certain reviewer!**

**Sorry for the terribly long wait. I'm such a promise breaker T^T **

**And I'm really, _really _sorry to the people waiting for me to finish rewriting the chapters for UN:ToaGK. I know I said I'd upload it by this weekend, but that's kind of tough right now. I just barely finished this chapter...**

**Thank you to all the reviewers who still read my stories! I love you all! *Death hug***

**You can ignore the bottom―just something stupid I needed to type off my chest. **

**I was on the frikkin' urge of peeing in my pants. There have been many advertisements for the new 3D movie "Sadako" and those advertisements are downright scary. There was a woman who didn't know how to wash her nails and cut her hair stuck on a _truck__, _okay? I know it's not real, but _still._**

**Japan is crazy.**


	4. Chapter 4

Naru gulped, helplessly staring at the floor as she listened to the agony filled screams—and was it just her, or was there the sound of bones cracking?

Today was the day.

The only thing that separated herself and Jiraiya from Karura, the Kazekage, and the nurses was the thick beige cloth that divided the hospital room. Naru looked up from her lashes to see Jiraiya's slightly pale face, and concluded that this was the only thing the man was bad at handling when it came to women.

She adjusted the big clay pot in her arms as she sat on a hospital bed, trying to loosen her death grip on it. The sounds coming out from the other side was causing her hands to clench onto it harder and harder, and Jiraiya had repeatedly scolded her for it.

It must have finally gotten on the last of his nerves, because the taller sennin had snapped and snatched the sealing kettle away from her.

"That's it, Karura-sama! Just once more!"

After one last pain-filled groan, a loud wail that shattered the tense atmosphere was heard. A blink, and then a large beaming smile gradually formed on Naru's face.

A tired-looking nurse took off her mask to reveal her grin as she slid the barrier, "You may enter now."

The blonde scrambled to her feet as Jiraiya did the same, though a lot more carefully with the pot in his arms. They rushed in on the scene of Karura adoringly holding her and the Kazekage's newborn baby, Gaara.

A blurry, vague picture of a redheaded man flashed in Naru's mind. Her lips parted slightly at the small, frail looking infant.

"Sabaku no… Gaara."

Jiraiya looked down at her, having barely heard her whisper, and his eyes softened at the tears that were swelling in her eyes. He then turned his gaze to the married couple in front of them; the Kazekage was having his turn at holding Gaara, while Karura held Kankurou and Temari adoringly, crying in bliss.

Naru looked back up at them as well, and broke into a weak laugh at the sight of the village leader's badly bruised and swelling hand―that was where the sound of cracking bones came from.

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Naru looked up at Jiraiya. "Come on, we should hurry with the sealing process while they rest."

"A-Ah, yeah, we should."

* * *

><p>"I wonder how she's doing right now…"<p>

"…"

"Ah, I wonder if she's getting asked out by guys there…"

"…"

"Hm... I wonder what type of guys are there in Suna… it's only three days away at most… I wonder if any of 'em are cute…" A pause. "I would personally go there on a visit to find some boys if I had the time… even _I _might find someone worthy."

Kakashi glared, snapping, "Would you shut up, Anko? I don't care about your love life—Oh, my bad. I should say the _absence _of your love life in this case, shouldn't I?"

"Why you—!"

"Maa, maa, Anko-chan!" Rin, who was sitting between them, laughed nervously, "I don't think Naru would appreciate you beating him up—"

"Who said I cared about what she appreciates or not!" The purple haired hothead ground her teeth harshly, and the only thing keeping her from slamming her foot on the table was Obito and Rin holding her back. "Heck, she'd probably be rooting me on about all this anyways!"

Obito gulped; he _swore_ he saw fire burning through the Mitarashi's light brown eyes. "Anko… why don't you order some dango? That's what we're here for, remember?"

"Yeah, sure, sure, Pansy."

Despite how much that nickname annoyed him, Obito decided to suck it up and ignore it. He didn't want to irritate the Hatake sitting next to him even further by making the she-male scream all day long.

"Well, you're getting rather snappish lately." Kakashi commented disinterestedly. "Dumped one too many times and just wanted to take it out on us, perhaps?"

"Kakashi… you bastard! What about _you, _huh? Weren't you having your monthly mood swings?"

His glare only succeeded in getting her even more riled. "When do you ever be quiet?"

"For your information, Naru and Obito's louder than I am!"

"At least she knows how to 'read the atmosphere' unlike you." Kakashi retorted back.

Rin's brow twitched uncontrollably as their voices' volumes rose higher and higher, knowing that at this rate, they would be kicked out of the shop. "Would you two—shut up!"

Her palms slapped them across the room and out of the store. The two came back limping, gingerly touching their burning cheeks as they sent each other death glares.

Obito laughed, fully content with the slight swell of his stomach. Rin had gone off on a long lecture at Kakashi—Anko escaped from her wrath as soon as she finished the last batch of her dango.

"Honestly! Are you two stupid?"

Kakashi bit back the urge to say that Anko had started the whole argument, and, instead, he chose to ignore Rin's question.

"Ah! I forgot that I had a shift in—" she checked her watch, "—five minutes! Bye Obito, Kakashi!"

The two watched her run to the hospital, and the latter deadpanned, "Shouldn't she just use the Body Flicker technique to get there instead of running all the way?" He started walking, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Obito smiled affectionately after her, before falling in sync with his best friend. "Maybe she's trying to save her chakra?"

Grunting, Kakashi shrugged, his previous irritation gone. He looked onwards, suddenly serious as he took on a more straight posture, "Hey, Obito."

"Hm?

"Do you want to join ANBU?"

Obito blinked, "Why the sudden question?"

"It isn't much, just… wondering."

The Uchiha hummed thoughtfully, "Well, I would, since it's an organization full of awesome ninjas, but… I heard it's pretty stressful." He brought his hands together behind his head casually, looking at the other from the corner of his eyes. "What about you?"

Kakashi looked down at the ground, organizing his thoughts. "I… want to. I want to be near Naru to help her during her birthday this year—it's likely that our age group along with the younger ones would be held back from the attack, so I want to get into a higher rank to prevent that."

Obito pondered for a moment. "Rin's probably going to be with the medical team, and as much as I want to help them, I'm useless in that area. I'm probably going to be helping to subdue the… you know." He pointed to his right eye, "After all, this is probably going to be of some use, right? So Sensei would probably bunch me up with the rest of my clan."

"Maa, we'd probably think of something better later on, so all we have to do is train, I guess."

* * *

><p>Naru let out a breath of relief; the sealing process was finally over. She gently passed Gaara to the new father, and grinned at the joy that entered his eyes. Karura was sound asleep in another room. "This seal is very, very similar to the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, but it doesn't take the life of the user. It just requires much more time and a <em>lot <em>more chakra."

Jiraiya had gone off with Yashamaru to return the pot to its original place, so she had to do the explaining. "The only difference between that sealing technique and the one I used on Gaara is that this is weaker. Even the Hakke no Fūin Shiki would weaken over time, but this one's easier and quicker to break; probably when he becomes the age of ten, at least." She smiled, waving off their worries with her hand. "For that, I'll make a 'key' so that you can fix it when it cracks; you'll know by his chakra. When the seal is damaged, his chakra levels become hectic because Shukaku's sucking it up. The time will come for him to try and control the demon, so, until then, make sure the seal's in perfect condition."

The Kazekage nodded, and Naru blinked, just remembering.

"Oh, and another thing; I'll make sure that the Nine Tails is controlled, so we'll be prepared to help Gaara control Shukaku."

The man looked down at his child lovingly, a tear slipping from his right eye, making Naru wonder if the myth about teardrops was true. She followed him out of the room, and they parted ways; she to Jiraiya and him to his wife. She really needed to get some sleep soon—but before that, she had to go to the old pervert and report. Plus, she didn't feel like letting the perfectly made bed soak up all her sweat. It would definitely feel disgusting the next morning, and she would feel sorry for the cleaners.

Jiraiya nodded, patted her on her back proudly, and grimaced at the sweat patch of her tanktop—she had taken off her jacket and shirt during the sealing process. Ignoring his reaction to her state, she had a tired grin on her face at the sennin's full acknowledgement and approval.

After crawling into the guest bathroom and sluggishly washing then drying herself, she threw some pajamas on and flew to her bed.

Naru had lost consciousness before her head even hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>Genma raised a brow at Anko's uncharacteristic quietness. "Something on your mind?" He asked, leaning back on the grass, his palms pushing against the rocky hair of the Sandaime. Anko had drawn her legs to her chest, her head resting on top, and her arms squeezed around them. When Genma looked down to her face, he saw a cloud of emotions in her light brown eyes. The most distinct was the loneliness and confusion.<p>

Noticing his gaze, she looked to her left, away from it. "It's… nothing."

"I thought you knew me better than that." He sighed, "Aren't we childhood friends?"

Anko scoffed, "You were barely around."

"Oi, I'm five years older than you. Of course I would have been busy with the academy and all that."

"Yeah, so that wouldn't make us 'childhood friends'. If anything, you're my sempai—but you know I refuse to acknowledge you as one."

"Just because you got promoted to chuunin before me?" Genma rolled his eyes. "You were so sweet and cute when you were four. What happened?"

"I matured."

"Yeah, having Orochimaru-sensei around makes you aware of the world, huh?"

That comment instantly shot away any positivity the girl had. Cursing inwardly, Genma frowned as he turned back down to the village. "Sorry, Anko. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Didn't I say it's nothing?"

"Aa."

"That—was a lie."

"I know."

Anko bit her lip, before dropping her forehead on her knees. "Sensei feels far away. I don't like it."

Genma brought his eyes on the sunset, "I see." He said, knowing that Anko didn't want pity. She never did. "Now that I remember, you really admire him. You once said that you wanted to be just like him, an excellent shinobi."

"Mm."

"Why's he being distant?"

Her voice came out muffled. "I—I don't know."

Genma's eyes softened as he watched her form; no matter how strong she was, no matter how much of a shield she had from being with Orochimaru, even she had her weak points. Said man was one of those main points. He straightened and tenderly ran his hand up and down her back. He closed his eyes, feeling her shake.

"Genma… What do you think I should do?" She sniffed. "If you're my sempai, you should know the answer to these sorts of things, right?"

"Sorry, I don't. Kurenai or Asuma's probably better at things like this." He said slowly, before drawing her to his chest and patting her head comfortingly. "But, as a friend, I'll let you use my shoulder. Is that okay?"

She shook her head.

"Fine, I'll let you use my jacket as a tissue."

She nodded. Genma knew a small smile had formed on her lips at her words. "Kidding; I brought some tissues with me."  
>"Well, aren't you prepared?" He asked sarcastically, his face holding its own smile.<p>

He patiently petted her as he let her cry, her words bubbling out on their own accord.

* * *

><p>Naru grinned; Kankuro was so cute and tiny!<p>

And Temari was probably the most beautiful baby she has ever seen. Her rosy cheeks when she laughs, long lashes framing wide, innocent, forest green eyes.

Setting her down in her crib, she watched Temari yawn and slowly blink. The baby gradually succumbed to sleep, leaving Naru with stars in her eyes. She quietly left the room, and cautiously closed the door.

"You must really love children, huh?"

Jumping, Naru mock glared back at Jiraiya, "Don't scare me like that, Ero-sennin!" The man twitched an eye.

"How many times have I told you to respect me?"

"Too many times that I have lost track." She answered, disinterested.

Grinding his teeth together, he slapped the back of her head. "You brat!"

Biting down on her lip to prevent herself from yelping, Naru brought a finger to it. _"Shush! The babies are sleeping!"_ She whispered harshly.

Raising a brow, he started walking, knowing the blonde would follow without looking back. "You sure are mindful around them. Do you want to have a family?"

She was caught off guard at the question, but grinned softly and nodded. She scratched her cheek, "I've always wanted one. Since I was a kid—though, during then I wished for a sibling or parents."

"Hmm. Children, huh?" Jiraiya chuckled, "I can see silver haired children blue eyes jumping around causing trouble already."

Naru blinked, registered his words, and her face blew up. Beet red, she mustered the best glare she could.

"Minato probably wants grandchildren—after you're married with your man, of course." He grinned, the movement of his waggling eyebrows sending shivers up her spine.

Naru decided that this embarrassing torture was enough, and fled, hearing Jiraiya's boisterous laughter fading behind her.

Having completely forgotten that they were only a room away, Jiraiya woke the babies up again, the loud wails seeming endless. So the gods were punishing him, were they? The sage grumbled, grimacing when the cries increased in volume as he entered. He didn't look _that _bad, did he?

Though, judging by the way Temari kept trying to throw toys—which was absolutely amazing for her age—like how Kankuro was trying to blow spit bubbles at him, he probably did. He watched as a stuffed pig soared a few centimeters above the girl and back down on her face, a lousy aim especially when he was a few meters away. He sighed; well, at least Temari will lose her energy quickly—she was already yawning.

He looked at Kankuro, whose crib was right next to Temari's, and saw that the infant's eyes were cross-eyed as he attempted to make more bubbles.

Jiraiya now knew without a doubt that kids of all ages were a hassle.

* * *

><p>"P-Pein… No, Nagato… why are you going against <em>his <em>orders?" He weakly looked up at rippled, violaceous eyes that stared down at him.

"For peace, Zetsu."

The white Zetsu's eye flashed in anger, while the other half's monotone voice spoke. "So you took action before Tobi got back, then… while he was still researching about Konoha's jinchuuriki…"

"You and Tobi… trusted us too much." Konan said at last, having not spoken as she walked out of the shadows. As Zetsu was pinned down by Pain's chakra receivers, Konan lifted her hand up and spread her fingers, directing her paper butterflies.

They surrounded him, unfolded, and stuck, revealing explosion seals. The white Zetsu's half's eye widened in horror, and the last of the butterflies stuck over it.

He was now fully wrapped in white, '爆' seals all over his form.

"Scatter like the leaves then crumble in fire."

The silhouettes of the childhood friends walked away from the explosion, unresponsive to the sounds it made.

* * *

><p><em>Rubble of various sizes were messily scattered around the muddy area, three people in the middle of it all. <em>

_Gold hair swayed softly, the rare sunlight making her seem to glow as the girl got up on her feet again, panting hard. Sapphire orbs watched them with determination, though they were drooped in exhaustion; she was quite low on chakra, and had many cuts littered on her skin and tears ripping her shirt. She had lost her jacket in the midst of the aggressive fight. Konan straightened from her tired posture, and Nagato's response was immediate. _

_Black rods pierced through air as its spiked tip aimed straight for the young girl's heart. _

_Instead of it stabbing through cloth and skin, the kunoichi had caught it swiftly with her hand. _

_Her eyes never swayed from them as she stabbed the weapon into her thigh, but she grimaced in pain. Breathing becoming harsher, she continued to stare at them, eliciting their curiosity._

"_You are?" Nagato demanded calmly. "Coming here despite the traps I've personally set… and for you to be able to survive to this extent after fighting both of us—" His eyes widened as he clutched his head, falling to his knees immediately as a surge of images crashed into his mind._

"_Nagato!" Konan rushed to his side, ignoring the cries of her own injuries, worried creases forming in between her thin brows. "What happened?"_

_The blonde continued to watch them silently, and, after a moment, pulled out the chakra receiver. She waited a few seconds for the sharp pain to dull into throbs. "Do you know who I am, Pain? Or may I call you Nagato?"_

"_How…?" Nagato's voice ground out, confusion evident in it. Konan looked between the two, unsure of what had happened._

"_I'm sure you know."_

"_How you came to be here in the past—a jutsu with such power shouldn't exist. And," He furrowed his brows, "you shouldn't be able to let me see such images."_

"_Yes I can," she replied simply. "I have a copy of all my memories sealed right here," she tapped her head, "so I just broke the seal a bit and showed you the ones I needed you to see; your invasion on Konoha, Tobi's plans, and how I was sent in this time period."_

_Konan's eyes grew wide as she stared at the blonde, before the woman schooled her expressions. Her voice was just as emotionless as her face, "It would be mindful of you if you would explain to me what is going on at this moment?" One corner of Nagato's lips tilted upwards as he turned to her in amusement, but the action was gone in an instant._

"_I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, nicknamed Naru. I came from the future to stop bad things from happening—"_

"_I'm not stupid."_

_Despite the serious situation, laughter appeared in shiny blue eyes. Nagato shook his head, turning to the woman. "I'll explain to you later, Konan. For now," he turned to Naru, "I'll ask you a few questions."_

"_Go ahead."_

"_How did you know they wouldn't be here?"_

_She scratched her cheek, her smile turning sheepish. "Well… Lucky guess? I figured _he _would be going around searching for information and stuff—just a hunch, though. I wasn't totally sure about it. And Zetsu… I thought he'd be around, but I didn't sense him using Kurama's chakra."_

"_Kurama?" Konan repeated the name. "Who is he?"_

_Nagato answered for her. "The Nine Tails."_

_Her eyes grew wide, settling on Naru again. _This child controls _that _bijuu? _The strongest tailed beast of them all; of course she can't believe it. _

"_You guessed right." Nagato's deep voice snapped the woman out of her thoughts. "You're lucky Zetsu is gone—he would have been able to teleport to Tobi without you noticing. He's away spying on another village."_

"_Are you going to help Konoha? We would really need your help, Nagato." _

_Said man and Konan whipped their heads toward the owner of the new voice, eyes round as their eyes landed on a unique figure with white hair. "Jiraiya… sensei?" The origami user whispered. They hadn't been able to sense him._

"_How was life treating you two?" Jiraiya smiled down at her, before facing Nagato. "You didn't think this brat came all the way here by herself, did you?"_

"_I'm capable enough. What took you so long?"_

"_Hey, I _just _managed to convince Tsunade-hime to work with us and brought her here so you'd be safe! Be appreciative, brat!"_

"_How many times have I told you to stop calling me a brat, Ero-sennin?"_

_Nagato's eyes were full of disbelief at her blatant show of disrespect as the taller man went off on a tirade._

"Ero-sennin?" _He said incredulously. Shaking his head, he turned back to Jiraiya. "I… will do what I can to help Naruto achieve her goal of bringing peace to this world. With what she has shown me… Now that I think about it, Yahiko probably would have told me to believe in her, so that's what I plan on doing." _

_A relieved smile appeared on the girl's face, and Jiraiya's panicking face was the last thing she saw before she succumbed to darkness._

* * *

><p>"You should come to Konoha to meet Kushina and Mikoto-neesan! You would surely become great friends with them."<p>

Karura smiled, "I'll keep that in mind, Naru-chan." She then bowed to both her and Jiraiya deeply. "Thank you two so much for saving me and Gaara, and the village." Then the Kazekage took off his hat, brought it to his chest and followed Karura's actions.

"Yes, I would also like to thank you as the leader of this village, a father, and her husband." He straightened and a small, grateful smile was on his face.

The two Konoha ninjas left Sunagakure, the warm goodbyes said to their retreating backs. Naru smiled contently to herself, as she gazed up at the blue sky.

_Gaara… _She thought, _with this, you'll live a better life. _A large part of her, despite the fact that many of her memories with the redhead were faded away, was elated.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, I really am not looking forward to high school anymore...<strong>

**There's way too much stuff to study for the exams...**

**Anyway, the exams would end by next, next week, so there would be faster updates after that. Thank you for your patience T^T**

**Reviews give me energy and motivation to last for the next fourteen days―just saying :)**


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